


Diamonds & Pearls

by Agent66



Series: War of the Worlds [10]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, F/M, Gen, Rescue Missions, War of the Worlds serial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-05 19:07:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17924621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agent66/pseuds/Agent66
Summary: The day they hoped would never come has and it could very well be their final showdown.





	1. Showdown on Homeworld

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey! As promised, here is you first chapter of our next story in the War of the Worlds serial! This is story number 10, if you can believe it, and one of the stories I've been looking forward to posting for a while now. I've actually had this written for months and even had it as a draft here at least four times to try and prompt myself to finish the last story.
> 
> A little context here - this meeting of former enemies is absolutely supposed to be a shout out to the Dragonpit scene from Game of Thrones season 7. I'll include the link at the end notes in case those of you not caught up can avoid spoilers. Remember kids, winter is here.
> 
> As stated last story, this is now super duper AU as of season 5, though I plan on incorporating some pieces of S5 into this story (like Space Pirate Lars and the Off-Colors), however please know that I will NOT be doing anything that relates to the Rose = Pink storyline, as that reveal came after I had already established the two as separate people and honestly, I like the idea of the Diamonds as antagonists/villains instead of additional Crystal Gems.
> 
> I hope everyone is still enjoying the series and, totally, truly I'm hoping that I can get to a point before the show returns that we get a little further in this thing before everything's completely out of canon! LOL
> 
> Enough with the biz-ness. Sit back and enjoy this offering I gives to you!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a showdown millennia in the making, as the surviving Crystal Gems are once again before the surviving Diamonds

_“Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? I’m kinda running on fumes and adrenaline right now, so the quicker we do this, the better the outcome for all us. And it’s easy. We just have a very simple question to ask. And I suggest you think over your answer before telling us because you will not like our reaction should you give us the wrong one.”_

_“Now, where is my boyfriend?”_

She had said that, only moments ago, after being confronted with a small contingency of Homeworld soldiers, all prepared to take out the five-man band that was assembled in the corridor. Connie had always wanted to say something epic, right before she was able to head into battle; all the movie heroes had them – the speech they give to the opposing troops, telling them their reign of evil ended there or even to the villain, proclaiming their wickedness would soon be put to an end.

It was something the girl had imagined ever since she was a young child, hanging on to every word of the adventure tales her father read to her and every show they watched together. Her mother didn’t like to indulge her in such fantasy, but it was the thing she and Doug shared and as her parents had soon discovered, the older their daughter got, the most external forces pulled her away from them.

Case in point – Connie Maheswaran was now being led down a hall on a distant planet to hopefully save her best friend. She actually couldn’t believe she had called him her boyfriend and in front of his family, too; she knew Amethyst would never let her forget this, no matter how much she wanted to. At least for the moment. When they got back to Earth, she and Steven could straighten out whatever relationship they wanted to pursue, which…hopefully was one they both wanted.

Everything seemed to be a blur – one moment, she and Steven were trying to figure out who this new, small, blue gem was and the next, she was floating in the water, screaming his name as the Homeworld ship began to disappear into the sky. Then she was yelling at Pearl and Peridot – she would have to apologize for her behavior at some point – and next…next, she was on a ship headed for Homeworld proper in order to get Steven back.

 _That_ was what lead to _this_ – she, along with the other Crystal Gems and Lapis, were now being led down the corridor and ushered into a room tinged in yellow. Their plan was shaky at best, really; the only thought was to get Steven back and if they happen to destroy buildings and gems in their wake, so be it. There had been a nervous energy onboard, more so between the gems who had actually lived on Homeworld at one point.

Their siege on what was known as the Military District, the main hub for Yellow Diamond, had actually gone well; maybe a little _too_ well, as they say in the movies. Connie had, naively perhaps, thought that these troops might be leading them to Steven; that when they walked through the sliding doors, he’d be standing there, no worse for wear, and ready to go home. It was Steven, after all – maybe he had convinced the Diamonds to let him go, to let the Earth be, that destroying the planet wouldn’t bring back their loved one, no matter how they wished it.

But coming into the room, empty with exception to their nervous escorts, Connie’s hopes were starting to be dashed.

Out of all the members, Connie was the only one who hadn’t been in or even seen the rooms that served the matriarchs of the empire. And the room was decorated for a matriarch, even if it was bare of anything resembling the types of artifacts the pre-teen had imagined the group to have. Aside from a large throne, there was nothing very descriptive about the place. Even their gem escorts had quickly fled the scene, wanting to put as much distance as they could between whatever was about to happen.

“Where are we?” Connie whispered, though she needn’t bother; the group was very much alone.

“Yellow Diamond’s personal office,” Pearl responded, her voice slightly wavering.

“Is that good for us or bad for us?”

“Well,” Garnet began, looking to her left and then to the right. “We haven’t been attacked yet.”

“So…” Connie hedged. “Good for us?”

“You’d find more cheer in a graveyard,” Amethyst muttered.

“Just had to make that connection,” the teen retorted. “Thanks for that.”

“Just saying,” the purple gem shrugged. Even though they seemed to have been left relatively alone, it did nothing to quell the feeling that something was totally, definitely, absolutely not right about the situation. “Why’d you think they brought us here or all places?”

“There’s a reason,” Lapis mumbled, her demeanor seemingly worse than the others. “The Diamonds always have a reason for doing what they do.”

The quintet stood in the room, each looking at the only other entrances. The moment felt like an eternity for Amethyst, despite being an alien species that had no relative relation to time; and it wasn’t because standing around was ultimately boring as all get out, it was the sense of foreboding that accompanied it. “What’s the 411, G?”

“Trouble with a capital T,” came the honest response.

“That does not boost my confidence level any,” Pearl huffed.

“Not supposed to.”

Another few minutes went by before the sound of a door off to their right opened, revealing a few members of Yellow Diamond’s personal guard, consisting of a group of strong jaspers. Simultaneously, the door they had been led through also opened, allowing a group of amethyst guards to walk though. Amethyst herself knew these weren’t the friendly types, like her famethyst at the human zoo.

The way they glared at her would’ve made her feel like dirt a few months ago, back when her defeat at the hands of Jasper had spun her around in a loop. Nowadays, especially today, the smallest gem gave as good as she got – she put on her go face, not even bothering to shapeshift; she could take these fools and she outwardly dared them to try. Unlike Amethyst, Lapis did her best to hide behind the others, lest she be recognized. This was a horrible idea and now that she was there, she was regretting ever going along with this; flashes of being interrogated during the war and then her time as Malachite caused her to tremble and she had to clench her fists to make it stop.

“Lapis?”

Connie didn’t have a chance to really check on the water gem because almost immediately a yellow colored pearl emerged from the back doorway. Upon seeing the group, or maybe upon seeing Pearl, she gave the Crystal Gem a sneer before continuing on, head high with an air of authority. She stopped near the large throne, seemingly waiting for something. _Or someone_.

It wasn’t long before Yellow Diamond herself appeared, walking through the doorway and entering the room like the royal being she was. She cast her eyes on the group, sneering at them in the same manner her pearl had. “Ah,” she replied. “The… _Crystal Gems,_ is it? We finally meet face to face, as it were. It has been…a _very_ long time coming. But where are my manners? I couldn’t possibly start this without Blue being here.”

Garnet stiffened before the Diamond had finished her sentence and only a fraction of a second before the door to their left opened to reveal Blue Diamond, along with her own pearl and Aquamarine. Lapis did her best to cower behind the fusion, not wanting to be seen by her former Diamond.

“Steady on,” Pearl whispered to both, though the words were more directed at the fusion and not the water gem. Hopefully, she had been the only one to notice the way Garnet’s hand began to twitch, a tale-tell sign Ruby and Sapphire were in distress.

Blue took her place on the throne, her eyes scanning the small group before them. “Is this all of them?”

“Yes, my Diamond,” Aquamarine spoke up. “These were all the gems Topaz and I encountered on Earth. And they match the report done by Peridot 5XG.”

“And…the human?” Blue asked, a curious look on her face as she caught sight of Connie, who did her best to stand her ground. When Steven had described the Diamonds to her, she hadn’t believed anyone could be that tall and right now, Garnet was the tallest person she knew. But now, their size against her own puny being really made her want to run straight home and lock herself in the closet.

“One of their allies,” the smaller gem replied. “She was on our list, but she managed to escape on the ship and tried to put up a fight.”

If there was one thing Connie found annoying was gems assuming she could barely lift a finger, even as a human. It reminded her of the treatment she had received from Lapis and Peridot and in turn, threw her back into the life of the very shy, very quiet, and very friendless girl she used to be. Thankfully none of the gems did that – if anything, Pearl may have _overcompensated_ when their training at first started, but that just showed that the thin gem hadn’t even considered Connie’s origins as a hinderance.

“A fight I almost won, thank you,” she stated, glaring at the gem. “It’s not like _you_ did anything onboard.”

“Can’t you crystal buffoons do something about your pet?” Aquamarine asked, sniffing in annoyance. “Doesn’t she know anything about speaking to one’s betters?”

Aquamarine was really starting to tick Connie off. Sliding into an offensive stance, the teen retorted, “Come over here and I’ll _show_ you how I ‘ _speak_ ’ to my betters.”

“Yeah, baby!” Amethyst was right behind her, materializing her whip from her gem and just waiting for the word to be given.

“Connie. Amethyst.”

Unfortunately, the word given seemed to be a hardy ‘no’, therefore the purple gem was figuring out how she could do it anyways.

Blue Diamond sat and watched the exchange, though her focus had moved on from the strange human to that of the taller gem that stood in her line of sight. She knew the gem to be ‘the fusion’, but she had never bothered to learn anything more about it. These rebels had been throwing together gems to make disgusting and unwarranted fusions to further their cause, so while she knew the being by reputation, she couldn’t say she actually knew her.

However, now that she could see the being up close, something about it seemed familiar. For some reason, her mind traveled back centuries, to the day where she had nearly captured the leader of the rebellion, Rose Quartz. A sapphire had told her what was to come and then…

A ruby. One of the ruby guards had dared to touch a sapphire, causing the two to fuse.

She had spent time afterwards trying to recover her prize sapphire, to no avail. Blue had heard reports that her favorite seer was aiding the rebels, but that couldn’t be right; and she had never again heard about the ruby that she had escaped with.

This was the second time in as many cycles that Blue had thought back to that day. The last time had been during her standard visit to the human zoo, when her agate had presented her with a sapphire and a ruby guard to state the arrival of another human for the zoo. At the time, she didn’t remember giving such an order for more nor did she recall having one of her sapphires dispatched to the planet to carry out said order.

She had figured she was still emotional after visiting the place where…and then her confrontation with Yellow and their talk afterwards, Blue hadn’t considered that perhaps she had been led astray. She had spent time with her sapphires and they would tell her these events were related – a long ago event that featured a ruby, a sapphire, and an unheard-of fusion; a chance meeting with a sapphire and a ruby guard on an order she didn’t remember giving; and now, an infamous fusion stood before her.

Yellow had finally shared what had occurred in the zoo – that these rebels had dared to break in and take what was so clearly theirs and then the ultimate disgrace of having her own agate lie about it to them, wasting precious time by not coming forward immediately. In that moment, Blue’s eyes widened as she recalled something in Holly Blue’s report…

She had said the sapphire and ruby had fused.

“You,” she growled, startling the group, but more so to the taller gem, who flinched slightly at the harshness in her voice.

_Sapphire…_

_She knows._

There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Blue Diamond had just realized who stood in front of her. After millennia, the matriarch was once again face to face with the fusion who had ruined everything; no, not the fusion. The gems that insisted on being fused as the fusion.

That ruby. Her sapphire.

“You would dare darken these halls with your presence?” the Diamond hissed. “Unfuse. _Now!_ ”

The order shouldn’t have been surprising, however the tone and venom behind it was. Almost. What surprised Garnet the most though was that Ruby and Sapphire almost did exactly that, but she managed to keep herself together. “I am not a member of your court,” she replied, her voice only wavering slightly.

“ _None_ of us are members of any court,” Pearl piped up. “We’re here for one thing and one thing only.”

“You got our boy,” Amethyst stated, pointing at the Diamonds. “And we want him back.”

“Then by all means,” Yellow Diamond said, a smirk appearing on her face. From the same door she had entered, a topaz walked in, handling a struggling Steven Universe by the waist; the gem came to a stop in between the two Diamond pearls, righting the smaller teen, but not letting go; in fact, Topaz made sure to keep a tight reign on the boy, using the hand on his gem to steady him.

“Steven!”

“Topaz,” Yellow replied. “Break him.”

“No!”

The group, with exception to Lapis, all tried to make a move towards the half-gem teen; Connie and Amethyst found themselves being surrounded by the gem soldiers who had been waiting for the group to do something.

“No!” Steven exclaimed, both in response to the others rushing to his aid and the tug he could feel from Topaz on his gem. “Stop! Please! Topaz, please don’t!”

Steven’s pleading was all it took to stop the Gems in their tracks, paralyzed with the thought that their actions would harm their boy. “I suggest you rethink your impetuous actions,” Yellow demanded. “Now, drop your weapons.”

Amethyst angrily dissipated her whips, while Connie sheathed the giant sword in the scabbard on her back; Pearl hadn’t even been aware she had pulled her spear until she felt it melt away from her hand.

“Unfuse,” the brighter Diamond continued. “Immediately.”

Garnet wasn’t happy and that carried over to her components as she disappeared and they appeared. Pearl could easily feel the heat emanating from Ruby, who stood next to her, and she knew the former soldier was barely keeping a lid on her anger.

“Well, well,” Yellow said, looking at the now defeated group before them. “I must admit, for all the trouble you put us through, I’m a little disappointed. It seems you’re all nothing without Rose Quartz to influence you.” Gesturing her head towards Steven, she asked, “This is your mighty rebel group, Rose? Is this how you gained their allegiance?” Shaking her head, she spat, “Pathetic. How you managed to cause as much destruction and disconcert as you did, with such a group, I will never…”

“My Diamond!”

As shocking as it was for a gem to interrupt a Diamond, it was even more so when that gem turned out to be Lapis Lazuli. Unable to hear or see anymore, the water gem finally revealed herself to the Homeworld gems, falling to her knees in front of Blue.

“My Diamond, please forgive me,” she pleaded. “I never wanted to betray you!”

“Who are you?” the Diamond asked, curious as to where this would go.

“Lapis!” Pearl hissed, throwing a look at Ruby. What in great stars was she _doing_!?

“Lapis Lazuli, Facet 9FG, Cut 94S,” the water gem replied. “I was caught on Earth colony during the war and was trapped within a mirror. I was only recently released and have been trying to figure out a way back since.”

“Lapis!” Steven called, surprised that the gem – his summer fun time buddy – was doing this. “Lapis, what’re you doing?”

“You’re the lazuli that accompanied Jasper and that peridot,” Yellow murmured, her eyes narrowed. Looking at Blue, she said, “She might actually have an idea as to where Jasper could be.”

“I don’t!” she exclaimed, immediately shrinking under the gaze of both Diamonds. “I-I…I know these…Crystal Gems engaged in combat with her, but I haven’t seen her since the ship crashed.”

Lapis didn’t dare look up, either at the Diamonds in front of her or the gems behind her. She wasn’t sure what would happen, she hadn’t even considered this course of action until she was on the floor, kneeling before her former Diamond. She could literally feel the eyes on her – from the Diamonds, their pearls, and the Crystal Gems behind them.

Worst of all, Lapis knew one of those eyes were of Steven’s. She knew he was disappointed, but what did he expect? Did he really think they could escape!? They were standing before the Diamonds and there was no way they were going to let any of them go – not him, not the precious Crystal Gems, not Connie…it was hopeless and while this was a horrible lesson for him to learn, it was a lesson that _needed_ to be learn.

She had tried to tell him that once – that she had never believed in Earth and that the people he called his friends and family didn’t care about other gems. They were too concerned about Earth, about humans…well, what about gems? What about _their_ kind? So busy worrying about what should have been one of the gempire’s colonies, those Crystal Gems had completely torn the empire apart and by doing so, had caught the water gem in a war she didn’t even want.

Lapis Lazuli had been an innocent bystander in a war fought by people who had just abandoned their own kind in some misguided attempt at preserving an inferior species.

Blue nodded to one of the jaspers, who quickly made her way towards the kneeling gem. Lapis stiffened once the gem stood by her side, her mind immediately going back to Malachite, despite her reluctance to focus on that terrible time. “Take this lazuli to one of the agates,” the Diamond replied, wanting to get down to the actual point of having these…rebels in their midst. “Tell agate to re-indoctrinate her into society. I want to make sure she doesn’t carry any of these…Earth ideals.”

“Yes my Diamond.”

“Th-thank you, my Diamond,” Lapis whispered, getting to her feet, but keeping her head down.

“Lapis…”

The jasper turned on her heel and began to lead the water gem out, pass the saddened eyes of Steven and the disappointed ones of the gems who had betrayed their own kind. “See ya ‘round, jerk,” the purple gem muttered as the two walked by and out through the door behind them.

“It’s good to know not all of you Crystal Gems are complete traitors,” Yellow huffed, looking down at the remaining group. “Does anyone wish to rethink their previous actions? Because I guarantee there are consequences if you don’t.”

“We’re not bowing down to you,” Pearl stated. “A millennia ago was quite enough, thank you.”

 Yellow Pearl didn’t hide her shock at the statement. How dare she! She was a _pearl_ , for heaven’s sake and she was talking to a _Diamond_! Aquamarine made a tsk through her teeth, clear disappointment radiating through her small form.

For her part, Yellow Diamond barely managed to keep her anger in check. “We will deal with you shortly,” she snapped. “First things first. You, prepare a transport ship. I want the human and the defective Amethyst taken to the human zoo.” Turning to look at Blue, she said, “That should appease you, yes? You lost one human, so I’m replacing it with another.”

Blue, whose gaze had only wavered during Lapis’ turn, continued to stare at Ruby and Sapphire – who were wisely avoiding her look as best they could. She eventually nodded, saying, “That will be fine.”

“No, you can’t!” Steven shouted, once again struggling to get free of Topaz’s hold.

“Silence,” Yellow hissed. “Blue and I will deal with you four traitors momentarily. First, we need to rid ourselves of the riff raff.”

The jaspers and amethysts who hovered behind them reached for Connie and Amethyst. It was clear the purple gem was one step from resisting, but a look to Steven and back to Pearl and Ruby had her deflate unhappily. If she so much as threw a punch, who knew what would happen to Steven and it was a risk she couldn’t take.

Connie too had the same thought, but she was more resolved than maybe Amethyst was. It wasn’t supposed to end like this! They had managed to overcome the odd by actually getting here and this was how it ended? With her and Amethyst being taken to the human zoo, Lapis betraying them, and who knew what would happen to Steven, Pearl, Ruby, and Sapphire?

Yellow Diamond had called them all traitors – it made sense, of course. Steven was parading as his mother and from what he knew of the original Crystal Gems, Pearl had been a founding member, with Garnet as the next member. As far as Homeworld thought, these were the very people who started the rebellion and the war.

And where was Peridot? Had been captured too? Or worse?

The teen didn’t have long to ponder, as she and Amethyst were being pushed out the door, with only Steven’s anguished screams calling to them.

 

* * *

 

Pearl would be lying if she thought any of this would be easy, but she never once thought _this_ would be the result. To be fair, they hadn’t really explored what would happen once they landed on Homeworld proper, just getting Steven out had been the priority. Oh, she and Garnet had thought of the possibilities of, well, being _here_ – faced with one or both of their former Diamonds – but it was a theoretical conversation.

Never in their wildest dreams did they think this was a possibility.

But here they were – just her, Ruby, and Sapphire, standing before the two Diamonds who hated them the most, Peridot nowhere to be seen, Lapis outright turning on them, and Connie and Amethyst taken away. Pearl couldn’t imagine how things could possibly get worse.

“Now that just leaves the four of you.”

Yellow Diamond had waited centuries for this, for the moment when the leaders of the rebel would be brought before her and punished. Her first thought was to do just that – have Topaz rip the gem from Rose Quartz’s disgusting organic body, while she eliminated the others, but she tempered herself. They had waited this long, so why not enjoy their victory?

“You know,” she continued. “I’ve given a lot of thought as to what should happen to you. Shattering you on sight, shattering you in the main square before all of gem kind…even now, shattering you all is still my favorite thing.

“But…in light of everything you four have done, that seems too… _merciful_ , even for you. So I have something better in mind.” Snapping her fingers, the remaining two jaspers grasped Pearl by her arms. “I’ll leave the…fusion to her Diamond,” Yellow contended. “As for you, Pearl, I believe it’s only fitting for you to be reunited with your old _friend_.”

Pearl’s confusion soon morphed into realization as the jaspers began to take away. There could only be one person who wanted to see her and she knew it. Ruby and Sapphire did too, as they watched helplessly as the former servant was led off; it was only the blue gem’s touch that stopped the former soldier from taking more than a step in the same direction.

“Deal with the fusion as you wish, Blue,” Yellow said, turning on her heel and following the same path as her soldiers, her own pearl right behind her, looking smug and overall triumphant at these turn of events. When it was all said and done, the only Crystal Gems left were Ruby, Sapphire, and Steven. They were in trouble and they all knew it.

“Now,” Blue replied, leaning forward to stare at the gems before her. “Shall we begin?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's that GoT scene for you all - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqr6-CgJsg0


	2. Devil in a Blue Dress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deals are made with the devil with the blue dress on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a day, it's only lunch, and I thought I'd make myself happy by making my readers happy with a new chapter. There were a few stories I wanted to give shout outs to and two of them I can no longer find sadly :(
> 
> The first one, [The World Left Behind](http://archiveofourown.org/chapters/14089672), a piece from Blue Pearl's POV during the events of the war and the aftermath of what happened in the Cloud Arena. The thought that Blue Diamond would take her anger out on the same gem type was fascinating to me and I've include something similar below.
> 
> The next was the fabulous Antiquated Pearl, where Pearl was captured and taken back to Homeworld. The confrontation with White Diamond is where I got the idea for the last chapter of this.
> 
> Lastly - at least before you continue reading on - is the fantabulous [Convictions and Captivity](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11685378/chapters/26304207) by my buddy, realfakedoors. This story and others are great reads and you should go and read her things. All of them!
> 
> And now here's the next chapter!

There was an Earth saying that time healed all wounds. It was something Sapphire hadn’t truly understood until Rose was gone, in that the passage of time softened the harsh words and feelings a person could feel against another. While time truly meant nothing to a gem, the seer had grown to appreciate the saying, as it helped to bring about peace to a conflicted situation.

In this moment, however, the seer was sure whoever came up with the saying obviously didn’t know about the Diamonds and they certainly didn’t know about Blue Diamond.

Time healed _nothing_ as far as the azure monarch was concerned. Seeing the ruby and sapphire before her, millennia after watching them fuse and then run off to join the rebels was as much of a slap in the face now, as it had been back then. “I should have you both shattered,” she whispered, glaring at them both. “And believe me, that thought has never once left my mind. It would be one thing to… _fuse_ …but then you allowed the rebels to escape, before abandoning your station and _joining_ them.

“I took some solace though,” she continued, leaning back against her chair. “If I couldn’t destroy you for the time being, I would get as close as possible. It would’ve been a waste to divest myself of sapphires; they hold a valuable position, despite the recklessness of one. Rubies, however…”

Blue could see the emotion that flashed across the ruby’s face. So expressive…she was actually going to enjoy this. “Did you think your follow guards would escape their punishment?” she asked, smirking slightly. “Not only did they fail me, but so did the entire batch. I was not going to have one defiant ruby upend all we have worked and strived for nor was I going to allow another one of your facet to betray me. If I couldn’t destroy you, I did the next best thing.”

The color in Ruby’s face drained, leaving the red speechless. Blue Diamond couldn’t possibly be saying what she thought she was. “What?” she sputtered.

“Shattering you would eliminate the entire lot.”

The former soldier didn’t know what to say. She was _literally_ the very last of her facet, no one was left and if Blue was serious – and there was nothing to indicate the Diamonds as big practical jokers – the monarch hadn’t so much as waited a moment before issuing the order to shatter any and all rubies that came from Ruby’s own Kindergarten.

“That’s barbaric.”

Even Sapphire, who saw an endless stream of horrific and terrifying images on a daily basis, was disturbed by the boast. “Welcome to Homeworld,” Aquamarine retorted, smirking at the two. “Earth has obviously made them weak, my Diamond. Shall I finish what you started all those years ago?”

Blue lazily raised a hand to stay the smallest gem’s glee at the prospect. “I have thought of shattering you,” she said. “But today I’m feeling a measure of…benevolence. You’ve caught me in a jovial mood, Sapphire, and because of that, I’m willing to let your indiscretion pass if you return to my court.”

“Are you kidding!?” Ruby exclaimed.

“She wasn’t talking to you,” Aquamarine sneered.

“It goes without saying that your allegiance to your rebel force will be forfeit. I suggest you take this offer into consideration, as the alternative is neither pleasant or quick.”

“After countless millennia,” Sapphire began. “You still don’t know me and you still don’t understand the purpose of the rebellion.”

“She doesn’t have to understand anything,” the smaller gem chastised. “She’s a Diamond and you’d do well to remember that.”

“Oh I remember _very_ well, thank you,” the seer sneered. “Far longer than you, to be sure.”

Steven’s eyes widened at the harshness coming from Sapphire, taking him back to his earlier encounter with a similar being who held nothing of the warmth _his_ Sapphire had, despite the irony of the sentiment. The teen could almost believe that his previous discussion had moved from one room to another – his Sapphire was never so angry, even during the one and only argument he had personally witnessed between her and Ruby.

He admitted that Aquamarine could be, well, a brat, but he couldn’t believe the seer would show such contempt to another gem.

Ruby was equally surprised, though not by much. Unlike Steven, she had seen this side of Sapphire before and the end results had not been pretty. She didn’t know what the situation was between her and Aquamarine, but did she need to? No, of course not; the little blue bug was annoying on her own and it didn’t take a genius to figure out why she could easily get on the seer’s nerves.

And the very fact that Blue thought she could go so far as to welcome Sapphire back, as though she hadn’t just sat there and told them she had essentially shattered every single member of Ruby’s facet mates…the Diamonds had gotten ballsy, that was for sure.

“I take it you’re going to refuse?” asked the Diamond.

“Of course I’m going to refuse,” Sapphire said, barely holding back a choice retort that would’ve made Amethyst proud. “There is nothing you could ever hope to offer me that would make me return, to you or to the court. I’m not so easily swayed.”

“I can see,” Blue said, smiling. Yes, it seemed the Earth had given something her former seer had lacked, but there was always something to be gained and always a way to get the upper hand. While she was not as…militant as her fellow Diamond, Blue’s skills were honed to survey the landscape and environment. And that meant anticipating and advancing the actions of others.

So taken aback by her earlier confession and the indignant response to her offer, Blue had noticed the ruby’s guard had begun to relax; ever since appearing before them, the former soldier had been taking stock of their surroundings, keeping a close eye on her, Aquamarine, Topaz, and the Steven creature. She had even given a glance around the room once the rebel pearl had been taken away; but she was not prepared for what was going to happen next.

While Ruby may not have seen what was coming, Steven did and he had just enough time to throw out “Guys! Watch out!” in warning before the red gem was grabbed from behind. The movement was actually rather quick, that before Ruby had even processed what had happened, she was in a weird fusion sandwich with their young ward.

“Ruby!”

“I am being rather generous, Sapphire,” the Diamond replied, watching the action taking place around her.

The ruby was flailing around between the Topazes, but Blue knew they were sufficiently stuck within the fusion, making both the former soldier and human immobile. Aquamarine had dutifully anticipated her Diamond’s wishes, moving herself from the side of her throne chair up to the platform where Topaz stood.

This was why the two made such a good team, they always seemed to be in sync with each other, though the monarch was well aware it was mostly due to the smaller gem’s authoritative figure and the ability for topazes to follow orders and do as they are told. Just as it should be.

“And based on your own actions,” Blue continued. “You should be grateful for it. I do not make this offer very lightly, however there is still value in you, Sapphire, perhaps even more because of your experiences.” The Diamond observed the seer, seeing the hesitancy in her actions; sapphires were rarely, if ever, hesitant and a glance towards the still struggling ruby seemed to present the answer.

“You…care for her.”

“Don’t hurt her,” Sapphire pleaded. “Please.”

Blue cocked her to one side. One of the most powerful of gems in the entire empire, sapphires held the very fate of their society in their hands at times and they had always shown a marked level of decorum, holding in their emotions unless under the direst of circumstances. The seer before her had only to see the human before breaking the fusion she shared with the ruby and now, Blue was surprised to see she was barely holding on to her emotions as the ruby demanded to be let go.

This was the very reason fusion was banned between different gem sets.

“I will ask again,” the Diamond stated. “You need not lose your life over this. I shall even allow you to keep your ruby guard, however the two of you will _never_ fuse again. And there will be worse consequences than shattering should you try to go around this. What say you, Sapphire?”

“Sapphy, don’t do it!” Ruby shouted.

It was a hard choice and one that Sapphire was having great difficulty deciding. Yes, on the surface, the easiest thing to do would be to tell Blue Diamond no for a second time, but what about Ruby? What about Steven? The long-term idea of having to serve the Diamonds and Homeworld _was_ worse than anything, but the seer could see something even worse than that.

A life without Ruby.

That was something she didn’t think she could do. Oh, there had been a life without the red gem and it had dull and devoid of life; there were two sections of her existence that Sapphire saw – life before Ruby and life after Ruby and life after Ruby had been a much better existence.

“I…”

The indecision that griped the seer was one parts intriguing and three parts irritating as far as Blue was concerned. She would either have their allegiance again or they would be shattered, there was no other option. Nodding to Aquamarine, she watched as the blue gem’s eyes grew wide in excitement, pulling her hairbow from the top of her head and turning it into her weapon of choice. Blue didn’t know what problems her Aquamarine and Sapphire held against each other, not that it really mattered.

She was a Diamond and above such things, but in this moment, she would stroke the fires of this strange rivalry and put to her own use.

Given the go ahead to fulfill the act she had wanted to do ever since walking in, Aquamarine looked at Topaz before saying, “Hold her still, Topaz. I want to make sure she can really feel it.”

“What’re you doing?” Steven cried, watching as Topaz grabbed Ruby’s arm at the wrist, before moving up to open her hand, revealing the gem that rested on her palm.

Gem weapons were incredible devices; while the majority were purely for offensive purposes – whips, spears, staves – there were those that seemed to have little or no use at first glance. This was the case of the smallest gem in the room, whose hair bow was merely the disguise for a wand she kept on her person at all times. In most cases, Aquamarine only used it to move unwieldy objects or people from one place to another.

Her position as a surveyor meant she didn’t really need to do more than that. However, this Aquamarine’s role was for more than that. Her reputation as one of Blue’s most trusted and most dangerous of gems belayed the very small package she presented. She was, for all intents and purposes, an enforcer for the courts. If a defective needed to be retrieved and dealt with or, in her last mission, a group of specified humans needed capturing, it was a job for Aquamarine and Topaz.

And in those cases, the small gem only needed to bring out her wand for…removal, however her wand could do so much more. It was little known fact that Aquamarine’s wand could only emit a laser that did more damage than the puny things humans used on Earth. Sadly, very few missions or orders ever allowed her to use her wand to its fullest potential.

Until now.

Training her wand at the red gem, a light beam immediately shot out, hitting the gem and slowly carved its way from the top and towards the middle, leaving a tell-tale crack as it continued.

Steven Universe, at the tender age of fourteen, had probably seen and gone through more horrors than the average teenager. Granted, he wasn’t a normal human male - seeing as his mother was a rebellious gem who ended up starting the equivalent of an intergalactic civil war – but he liked to think he was able to bounce back from some of the things he was put through. Then he learned about what his mother had done to Pink Diamond, he had watched Jasper become corrupted, and then there was that horrible fight with Bismuth.

That of course was followed up by his presence here, his noble and probably stupid suicide mission that he had hoped would stop the conflict that _still_ lingered between the Earth and Homeworld.

But in all of those incidences, scenarios, and other situations, none of them prepared him for the scream of pain that came from the ruby next to him. Steven only seen a total of three cracked gems – once when Amethyst had fallen and they had made a desperate dash to his mother’s foundation, when he himself had healed Lapis, and then again when the ruby he called Eyeball had gotten hit in the gem by a stray bit of asteroid.

Aside from the purple gem taking a tumble from a cliff, the teen had never actually seen how gems got cracked. And he had definitely never seen a gem crack another, especially not someone he actually knew and loved.

“Stop it!” he shouted, pleading with Aquamarine to stop her onslaught. His voice mingled with the panicked tone of Sapphire’s, as they both cried out in horror. In the midst of their yelling, Steven had missed an important piece of the seer’s pleas; luckily, Blue Diamond wanted to make sure she had also heard Sapphire correctly. Raising her hand, Aquamarine reluctantly stopped her torture, lowering her wand and looking back at her Diamond.

“I’ll return,” Sapphire begged. “Just please…please stop hurting her.”

“Sapphire?”

Steven couldn’t believe what he was hearing, though he was equally surprised that Ruby hadn’t said anything either. She couldn’t be considering this, could she? If she returned to Homeworld, what would happen to her? To Ruby? To _him_? _To Garnet_?? To be honest, Steven couldn’t truly blame her; after all, hadn’t he turn himself in, pretending to be his mother, to save the people and planet he loved? Of course Sapphire would do what she could to save those she loved, even when there came a price.

“I’m so glad we could come to an agreement,” Blue replied, smoothly. She knew her gems, even when they had been away from her for centuries; deep within their being was the instinct to observe their Diamond and she had counted on that. She had been surprised by the lapis lazuli earlier, but Sapphire didn’t disappoint. A gem of her class knew full well the benefits and consequences when presented.

“This agreement was under duress,” the seer replied. “And as such, I will only continue this alliance on certain conditions.”

Sapphire had not made this choice easily, but if that’s what would get Aquamarine to stop her torture, than giving in to her former Diamond was the way to go and it didn’t mean she had to just take what was offered on the table. If this had been in the before times – before Ruby – Sapphire would never speak against her Diamond and her vision would have only been centered on the worst outcome of her doing so.

But the seer had been exposed to a life where the future was always changing and where she herself could change events but just being involved. A vision now would show her saying yes to Blue’s offer, but in turn, saving the lives of Steven and Ruby or that the three of them wouldn’t undergo any harm should she request it of Blue. It was impertinent, for sure, but what was life if not without an element of risk?

Blue raised a slim eyebrow at the gem. Was she cracked? Or just that reckless? “You are in no position to be demanding concessions, Sapphire,” the Diamond reminded her. Blue was being extremely generous in this regard by even extending a hand in mercy and Sapphire was going to demean it by demanding a concession?

The very fact that Blue, even after all this time, still thought she was an authority on what Sapphire should or shouldn’t be doing was enough to irk the seer even further. As though commanding the most annoying creature in the galaxy to torture her partner wasn’t enough…

“The last time I checked, _I_ was the one with precognition,” she retorted. “So believe me when I say you’ll want to grant me these few requests.”

Sapphire had the incredible knack to keep her voice calm and level, regardless of the situation at hand. It was the mark of a diplomat and an aristocratic elite gem to always keep in control of your emotions; it was something the Diamonds strove for and something they tried to impart to their ‘better’ gems.

The irony of actual actions was of course, hilarious. For all of their want to be cool and in control, the Diamonds had quickly fallen apart during the rebellion and the midst of the war. Blue’s tenuous hold on her emotions had broken with Pink Diamond’s shattering and had fluctuated ever since. The seer had already experienced the Diamond’s anger, while Steven had been privy to her sadness; neither was aware of how these emotions could extend across her entire colony.

Blue, diamond shaped eyes narrowed at the display of disrespect. And there was a tone that Blue did not like nor appreciate.

“Are you threatening me?” asked the Diamond, suspiciously.

Sapphire’s gaze, though covered by her bangs, had been focused on her beloved and if she was okay. However, at Blue’s question, the seer’s only movement was to incline her head slightly towards the monarch. “If I was threatening you,” she replied. “You wouldn’t be moving.”

Sapphire’s response did nothing to lessen Blue’s ire, however the evidence of the blue gem’s emotion turmoil was clear – while the seer hadn’t so much as moved from her place, she had none the less managed to lace the floor and the walls with thin sheets of ice. It was something Blue had never seen any of her sapphires do before, causing her to actually consider the concessions, despite not wanting to.

“And what are these…concessions?”

“Firstly, you are to let Ruby and Steven go,” Sapphire replied, with only a small waiver in her voice. Whether it was from her anger or fear was anyone’s guess. “And release them into my custody. They shall be my responsibility while I’m here.”

Blue kept her eyes trained on the seer, waiting to see if anything else should occur. “And?” she asked. “No plea for your fellow rebels to be spared?”

“It would do no good to request something that you would simply dismiss.”

“Quite right,” Blue muttered.

A nod to Topaz caused the fusion to pull apart, releasing both Steven and Ruby to the floor. The soldier immediately curled in on herself, holding her left hand close to her body; she had already distorted at least twice and she was doing her best to minimize the actual pain she was in. Neither Steven nor Sapphire hesitated to rush to the gem’s aid, the teen prepared to heal the crack; it was deep, but thankfully Blue had stopped the madness before Aquamarine could get any further. Luckily, it stopped just above the center of the gem face.

Just as Steven went to lick his palm, Ruby grabbed his arm tightly, hissing “Don’t!” as she did so. The teen looked at her in confusion – why in the world would Ruby _not_ want him to heal her? Throwing a look to Sapphire, he was equally surprised when she imperceptibly shook her head as well. Why were these two insisting he not heal the red gem!?

It was only later that the teen understood what a grave error he was about to make. While his masquerade as Rose Quartz had pretty much crumbled at this point, there were still gems who believed that he was indeed his mother; however if his previous conversation was any testament, it also meant that they were still baffled as to how her ragtag little group of gem misfits were able to stop the might that was Homeworld.

Much of that had to do with Rose’s healing ability, something she had passed on to Steven. Eyeball had stated that, for those who fought in the war, the prospect had been a rumor, but after Steven had healed her, that was all the more reason to believe the shorter teen was indeed Rose Quartz. But just because Eyeball was aware of Rose’s, and thus Steven’s, ability to heal didn’t mean that everyone did and if the Diamonds were to learn about it, it could spell even more trouble than they were already in.

Standing from her throne, Blue sent a look towards Aquamarine. “Make sure Sapphire is made comfortable,” she said. “Traitor she may be, she is still a sapphire, though make sure you assign two of Yellow’s best amethysts to watch her. I’m afraid I can’t allow the concession of freedom to you anymore.”

Ruby, ever defiant, even when in the midst of a sporadic distortion, none the less made sure to send a glare to the Diamond. “Y-you’re not gonna beat us,” she spat, her stuttered caused by the way she flickered out of existence for the moment.

Blue huffed, her face turning cold just as Sapphire had turned the room. “I don’t need to beat you,” she replied, smoothly. “In fact, I’ve done more than beat you. I’ve _hurt_ you and I plan to go on hurting you for as long as you’re here and believe me, I will not be so willing to let you go again. Do not mistake this situation for lenience or mercy; you are alive because I wished it to be. The fact is – you are _mine_ , Sapphire, especially now when I know your weakness.”

“Your arrogance will be your downfall.”

“And your feelings will be yours.”

There was nothing else to say, certainly nothing that would cut down the amount of tension that swelled in the room, still hanging even after Blue turned on her heel and swept out the side door, her pearl rushing to catch up with her.

“I must say,” Aquamarine mustered, flying casually over to the Crystal Gem trio. “That was certainly unexpected. Did you foresee that, your _Grand Clarity_ or were you just making it up as you went along?”

“Say the wrong thing!” Ruby retorted, doing her best to get to the smaller gem. Any intimidation was of course lost when she flickered in the middle of her taunt.

“You don’t seem so tough when you’re facing in and out like that,” Aquamarine observed.

“Ruby!” Steven chastised, trying to pull the gem back towards it him. “Stop moving!” It was a difficult endeavor, just because the gem kept moving, but her elemental powers were starting to flare, causing heat to start building off her.

“Should I put her out of her misery?” the smaller gem asked, her wand immediately pointed at the former soldier. “Surely, if it’s a ruby you want, we can find you another one. I mean, really? What’s so special about this one? Granted, you must be attached to her after all this time, but…”

That was the very last straw for Sapphire. She had never truly liked Aquamarine to begin with, her hautiness and arrogance creating an irritation that could burrow under one’s skin, but the seer was surprised when she felt a new level of impassioned loathing that she couldn’t ever remember having in her twelve thousand years. “Choose your words carefully, Aqua,” she stated. “For they may be your last.”

“Is that the best you’ve got?” the smaller gem taunted. “My, you have gotten weak, haven’t you? What exactly do you think you’ll be doing here? In case you missed, you are now a prisoner of Blue Diamond. Oh, you might get the nice fancy suite, but do you really believe you’ll have the life you once did? The elite parties and summons? I’ll be surprised if you’re even let out of your room. No matter.”

Encasing all three in a static bubble from her wand, Aquamarine smirked at the defiant looks she was given. “I do hope you enjoy your stay on Homeworld,” she cooed. “Believe me, this is a much better place than Earth, especially with that geo-weapon set to go off soon.” Bringing the bubble closer, the smaller gem gave one last parting word to the former diplomat.

“I’ve chosen my words, Sapphire. Perhaps you should have better chosen yours. Bye bye!” Calling to a nearby amethyst, the gem said, “Do escort these three to their new home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two additional stories to add that I couldn't above both had the idea that Sapphire would never return to Homeworld or serve the Diamonds unless Ruby was in danger.
> 
> [The Crystal Gems' Star](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7998958/chapters/18532312)
> 
> Another fic, which again, apparently don't have listed anywhere (which is very sad) - the story is Garnet being captured by Blue Diamond and being separated into Sapphire and Ruby, with Sapphire given the option of coming back to Homeworld.


	3. Adjust Your Programming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A former slave meets her former master after years of being apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is, ladies and gentlemen, the final chapter. As mentioned last chapter, this confrontation was inspired by a great fic called Antiquated Pearl, which sadly is no longer here on AO3. It had a similar concept, where it was Pearl who had been captured by Homeworld and the gang hurry to rescue her.
> 
> This of course shared by belief and still current theory that our Pearl used to be White Pearl (which has been somewhat proven I would think thanks to seeing Pink Pearl again).

Pearl had no illusions about what was about to happen to her. Dealing with Blue and Yellow Diamond was, to her, easier than the gem the two jaspers were leading her to.

White Diamond was the matriarch of all gemkind. She was rumored to be the oldest living gem, several millennia in age and the first gem to ever exist. It was hard to say if these accounts were true or not, however what was known was that White Diamond hadn’t left Homeworld in the same amount of time it took for the war to conclude on Earth. What the Diamond was doing or what affairs she was handling were unknown, even to her fellow rulers Yellow and Blue.

As with all things on Homeworld, there was nothing different about the hall the former renegade was being led down. The walls and floors still held their glossy shine, the current hallway decorated all in white, signifying the long and ominous journey towards White Diamond’s throne room. Pearl was surprised White hadn’t sent her pearl to fetch her, but then again, perhaps the matriarch hadn’t replaced her former servant. It would certainly be a strange thing for her not to do so, but no one had seen White Diamond in quite some time.

In fact, other than her own communications before the war, the last time Pearl had seen her former Diamond was when she was given over to Pink Diamond, just before her court left for Earth.

White Diamond’s own chambers were further away from the others, keeping the apparent distance that seem to now loom over gems and the rest of Homeworld. And for the former renegade, it gave a clear indication of what was clearly happening – she was being separated from the others, as far away from the others as possible, with no hope of ever seeing them again. Pearl didn’t know the exact particulars of what was to happen, but she knew it would be something bad. She hated that she’d been separated from the others, especially Steven; it had been hard enough watching him turn himself in to Aquamarine, knowing that he wasn’t at all responsible for the things she’d done, for the things _they’d_ done.

The jaspers that were escorting her ignored her, only sending her contemptuous looks at they did, once or twice smirking when she glared back at them. Despite the obvious reputation, they still viewed and treated her as a pearl, one who was being sent to see her maker for punishment. The hallway soon ended at the white door that lead to White Diamond’s main room, where a white coral waited by the door, obviously waiting for them.

There were no white corals on Homeworld as far as Pearl knew, most of them coming from the pink court when Pink Diamond had still been ruling the Earth as a new gem colony. So seeing one, standing so very still at the entrance to the grand matriarch was a bit startling; she gave no emotion as the trio approached, instead just turning to open the doors, and allowing them to enter, neither looking at the jaspers of the Crystal Gem as they passed.

The room was dimly lit, though it didn’t take away from the contrast of grey that seemed permeate. That was who White Diamond was, a balance of color, of the black and white waves that came with decisions, politics, diplomacy, and relationships of running the gempire. The ability to instill loyalty and obedience with fear, to instill betrayal at every turn for the glory of the Diamonds.

Like the previous room, this one was empty, with only the jaspers and Pearl standing in the middle of the floor, alone.

“What exactly does White Diamond want with you?” asked one, her coloring a deep yellow, with a binge tint along a few strips that adorned her forearms.

“I heard this is supposed to be one of those gem traitors during that war,” the other answered, her coloring a straight tan that contrasted with her partner.

Pearl turned to regard them both, standing behind her to block any escape attempts she might be considering. “I’ve heard rumors,” the tan jasper continued. “About how a pearl was a member of some rebellion.”

“I haven’t heard of you,” the yellow jasper replied.

“Well before our time,” the tan one joked. “And how bad could a _pearl_ be? Did you just fetch weapons for the others?”

“I bet she just danced her way across the battlefield. Is that what you did? Dance across the field to distract good Homeworld soldiers?”

The jaspers laughed, especially at the look Pearl gave them for their rudeness. “Let’s see just how bad you are,” the tan jasper replied, the gem on her chest glowing as she withdrew her weapon, a large rounded mace. Her companion did the same, pulling an axe from the gem on her arm.

Pearl smirked, readying her stance, but not pulling her spear. This was certainly not the first time that she had been underestimated because of her gem type and former position; even among the Crystal Gems, she had to prove she belonged there, not as Rose Quartz’ servant or confident. She was there as a founding member of the rebellion, as a respected adviser to their leader, as a teacher to those that looked to _her_ for guidance.

The jaspers came at her, full of overconfidence and bluster because they were about to attack an ordinary pearl, their weapons raised and ready to strike. Neither were prepared for the quick and graceful way Pearl stepped around them, causing both to hit the air space that she had once been in; furthermore, neither quartz gem were ready for her attack and were quite surprised when her spear went slicing through both of them, poofing the two and causing them gems to crash to the floor.

“Well,” Pearl replied, looking down at the gems before her. “You’ve heard of me now, haven’t you?”

The smug superiority she felt only last for a few moments, even when the clapping she heard began to die down. It took mere seconds for Pearl to realized who had joined her in the room, even without having to look up to see the truth.

But when she did…

“Pearl,” replied the silky voice. “This is a surprise, is it not?”

White Diamond was an imposing figure, even when sitting on the throne that was in the room. Though Blue and Yellow Diamond were nearly twenty-five feet in height, White managed to eclipse them by another two feet on her own and while also a century older, she did not look nor behave as though she was older than the gempire itself.

“There just seems to be so many surprises of late,” the Diamond continued. “I have to wonder what it is we Diamonds have done to be so blessed. The capture of Rose Quartz, the return of Blue’s sapphire, and now you.”

If Pearl was surprised about White’s knowledge of their current events, she did her best to conceal it. Nothing ever escaped White’s knowledge, as Pearl well knew, so for her to know the state of affairs before the renegade herself wasn’t surprising as it was troubling.

“I have to admit that I never thought to see you again. What have you been doing with yourself since last meeting?”

Pearl was taken aback, not at the presence of her former Diamond, but by the very question, as it showed a measure of concern and she was well aware that the Diamonds held no such concern for the gems that served them. On the other side of the room, White Diamond was somewhat amused by the small defiance that this lowly pearl was showing.

“It’s quite alright, Pearl,” she cooed. “I’m giving you an unique opportunity to state your case, as it were. You can speak freely here.”

“Oh, can I?” Pearl asked, looking down at the two jasper gems that still lay on the ground, as well as the three guards that lined the wall behind them. “I think the presence of your elite guard would negate that?”

“You know as well as I that they do not act unless I give them the order to,” White responded, her tone bothering on a response to her previous inquiry. “So, it is in your best interest, of course, to make sure that I don’t give them an order. But enough formality. How are you, Pearl? How have you been?”

“How have I been?” asked Pearl, incredulously. “Are you serious?”

“Yes,” White said, smiling. “I’m quite serious. It’s been such a long time since we’ve last seen each other and I want to know what it is you’ve been doing for these last few millennia.”

Pearl let out a nervous chuckle that she couldn’t stop. Of all the absurd things to ask!

“Well,” she replied, answering the question as though she had just been asked if Tuesday followed Wednesday. “After you sent me off to be a spy within Pink Diamond’s court, I met Rose Quartz and the two of us decided to dismantle your oppressive regime on Earth, where I have been protecting the planet ever since.”

“Yes,” White drawled. “I’ve heard the reports Rose had turned herself into a ‘steven’.”

“Steven is his _name_ ,” Pearl said. “He’s Rose’s son.”

“I’ve never understood organic complexities, especially humans, with their various names and relationships.”

“Obviously.”

“Ah,” the Diamond perked. “So you do care for this…Steven.” White studied the gem standing in front of her before switching topics. “What do you think Blue is doing to your little…fusion friend?”

“If she’s smart, she isn’t doing _anything_ that antagonizes either Ruby or Sapphire.”

“That little Ruby should count herself lucky if Blue manages to let her leave that room with her gem intact,” White countered. “As for the sapphire…well, Blue has always been the sentimental type, so you can expect at least _one_ of them to live.” The Diamond looked her former servant, her head tilted in a curious fashion.

“And what you, Pearl?” she asked. “Am I antagonizing you?”

“I would think you’d know the answer to that.”

White actually laughed, her head thrown back and a hand raised to her chest. “My, my!” she chuckled. “You _have_ grown, haven’t you? Quite confident and…oh, how did Yellow say that agate stated? ‘Chatty’, I believe were the words. I’m sure I can thank Rose Quartz for her influence.”

“If by influence, you mean treating me like a person and taking my wants and thoughts into consideration…”

“What _you_ want?” asked the ruler. “Oh my! Living on that planet _has_ changed you! Allow me to remind you of where you _are_. It doesn’t matter what _you_ want. Your role is to serve and you, above all others, had the glorious role of serving _me_.”

“As a spy, least you forget.”

“Do not interrupt me when I am speaking, Pearl,” came the chastisement. “I would think you’d have better manners. And besides, did we not have…good times…before all of this? You know very well my gifting you to our dear, departed Pink was for you to help her, guide her. Instead, you conspired to murder her and usurp her colony.”

“Conspired!?”

“Pearl, please, you’re becoming emotional.”

White crossed one long leg over the other, her posture relaxed as she looked down at the gem before her. “I had always wondered if that was due to your defect. You keep bringing up being a ‘spy’, but in case you had forgotten, dear, you turned on _me_ and because a spy for Rose Quartz.”

Pearl’s eyes widened in surprise. While White had been well aware that the servant had been spying on Pink Diamond for her, after all, what self-respecting monarch does not know what their people are doing at all times? But Pearl had no idea that her former Diamond knew that she had been informing Rose of their plans.

“Oh yes,” White confirmed. “I was quite aware that only someone in Pink’s court would have been close enough to give information to that traitor. Why do you think I gave you the idea for the two of them to meet?”

“What?”

“I certainly didn’t see the outcome that transpired,” the Diamond continued. “But alas, as much as I would love to continue our tête-à-tête, I’m afraid you’ve put me in quite a position. Should I do as Blue and take you back into the fold, so it were? Or should I take Yellow’s positions and have you shattered, right here, right now?”

The renegade never lost her sense of shock or confusion by this conversation. White Diamond couldn’t possibly be suggesting… “The fact that you would even consider taking me back…” she sputtered.

“My dear,” the matriarch cooed. “Many things have changed since you’ve been gone. Perhaps if you had some loyalty to your own kind, you would’ve thought to visit. That dreadful war you helped usher in has put our entire society at risk of ruin, but luckily, we do not waste things that have value to us. At least, not anymore. We’ve found new purpose in gems that are…defective.”

“That hasn’t changed,” Pearl countered. “It has always been like that.”

“Yes,” White replied. “But the process is much more streamlined now. You know, I think I will make the exception. You were such a good pearl to me, I just couldn’t imagine having another. I’m sure you noticed that I no longer keep a pearl of my own.”

Her gazed narrowed on the pearl, a quick curve of her lips giving a slight smile. “But I will soon enough.”

And it had come to this. Pearl knew what this meant – White was offering her a place back in the white court, to resume her former place at her Diamond’s side. And if what White said was true, she wouldn’t be the first Crystal Gem to do so. Lapis had already turned on them, though no surprise there, and Sapphire had apparently returned to Blue; Pearl had no doubt it was because something had happened to Ruby or worse, Steven.

“I won’t do it,” she said, defiantly.

“Oh Pearl,” White said, watching as a group of gem guards entered through the double doors. Her former pearl turned, her stance ready to take on the whole group, but White knew she wouldn’t. Even if Pearl managed to defeat the group, she knew the so-call renegade would not escape her and she certainly wouldn’t abandon her rebel friends here on Homeworld.

“Who said you had a choice in the matter? Welcome to _my_ world, dear, and here what matters is what _I_ want.”

Pearl didn’t resist, even as she was surrounded, despite wanting nothing more than to flee and try to find the others. She knew what was going to happen – she was going to be repurposed, a fate worse than literal death for a gem. It wasn’t like harvesting, where the gem would be removed and used for another purpose, like what had happened to Lapis; no, repurposing was the act of resetting a gem’s entire personality. It was more like reprogramming.

And White Diamond was not only the one gem in the entire population who could do something like that and she was a master at it.

Everything Pearl was, everything she had grown to be, would be erased. As she was led off, the renegade knew things would be bad, but she had never imagined this.


End file.
